Ex-GOP pol eyes Fla. Senate bid

Former Republican Rep. Dave Weldon is seriously considering entering the Florida Senate race and will make a decision on a campaign next week, POLITICO has learned.

“I have had a lot of people in Florida ask me to get in, including elected officials and special interest groups,” Weldon said in a brief interview Thursday. “They think I’d have a better shot at winning in November, beating Sen. Bill Nelson.”

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Weldon’s potential eleventh hour entry is the latest signal of unrest within Sunshine State Republican circles about the party’s chances of knocking off Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) The current field includes two problem-plagued candidates, Rep. Connie Mack and former Sen. George LeMieux.

While conservatives remain wary of LeMieux for his past ties to former Gov. Charlie Crist, Mack’s campaign has been pillioried by Florida media for its missteps.

On Thursday, LeMieux’s campaign leaped on Mack’s latest mistake — distributing a government mailer promoting his “penny-pinching plan” outside of his congressional district, a violation of House rules.

“I’m calling on Connie Mack the Fourth to write a check out of his Senate campaign to reimburse the taxpayers for his blatant misuse of their money,” LeMieux said. “Mack should apologize to the people of Florida who received this mailing because it has the indication that it is official government business

The vendor that Mack said was responsible for the mailer has cut a check for $18,000 to the U.S. Treasury to cover the costs, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Mack wrote in a letter to the House Franking Commission this week that any violation by the vendor was “unintentional”, the newspaper added.

Weldon, who represented the east central coast of Florida from 1995 to 2008, was in Washington this week to make the rounds with conservative groups and put out feelers to GOP leaders. He has already retained political consultant John Brabender, the top adviser to Rick Santorum during his presidential bid.

Because he lacks statewide name recognition, it’s difficult to assess how much of an impact Weldon would have on the middling field. A May entry — three months from the August 14 primary — would require Weldon to raise cash at an blazing clip, though neither Mack nor LeMieux have blown the doors off fundraising.

Ideologically, Weldon’s record suggests he’d attempt to outflank both Mack and LeMieux on the right.

A physician in Malabar, Weldon is a staunch conservative who inserted himself into the Terri Schiavo controversy by arguing that she was not in a vegetative state. A fierce proponent in Congress of banning late term abortions, he has also called Jesus Christ one of his biggest political influences.

Weldon said he’s been mulling the contest for a few weeks and recently received the green light from his wife, but hasn’t completely settled on a decision.

“The late entry is an issue of concern,” he acknowledged. “I think I have to announce a decision next week.”